Wheatley Dialog LO10420

FVoehl@aol.com
Thu, 10 Oct 1996 20:27:28 -0400

Replying to LO10371 --

On the subject of breaking systems into parts in order to understand them
better:

DR. Homer Sarasohn and I have had numerous discussions about why "zero
defects are a highway down the tubes" (Deming, 1980 and onward). Sarasohn
summed it up for me in this way: what we are trying to achieve is not zero
defects (Perfection of the parts) but zero variability of the intereaction
of the parts in the total system design and operation. He called zero
defects the hole in the *donut* (as in do, nut). So we are looking for,
among other things, variability in the way things fit together for optimum
harmony and balance.

I hope this helps, although it may not be a perfect fit. What Sarasohn
and Deming were teaching us is that most of the problems and disconnects
occurr at the borders and seams, or at the handoff points. Often this is
missed, or sub-optimized, when we focus on the subsystems. I still
haven't quite figured it out for myself, so I am open to any and all
thoughts on this matter.

Frank
[Host's Note: I'm assuming 'Frank Voehl'. Please sign msgs with full name
and email address. ...Rick]

-- 

FVoehl@aol.com

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>